Router Sled to flatten large slabs.

I have 4 or 5 logs slabbed and dry enough to use for building benches and tables, so it’s time to make a router sled to get them as flat as possible and do it as quick as possible. My number one product is gunstocks and I use a Don Allen Duplicator from Dakota Arms to carve them. I used it as a base for the router sled. A couple of angle irons clamped to my workbench would have worked also. The sides are stainless steel rods on supports and I need to get some slotted linear bearings to finish the jig. I temporarily clamped a couple of boards on the end to hold the 1” stainless steel bars the router sled rides on. Then I bolted my router and two extended linear bearings to a piece of plywood. It works GREAT! I made a cherry bench and when I get it finished I’ll post more photos.

Linear bearings are expensive, unless you find an auction on e-bay at the right price… I have another set, but they aren’t “open” bearings to slide on the duplicator frame. I’ll replace the scrap wood on the sides with a bearing platform when I find the right auction. I’m also going to replace the plywood base with some 3/*” lexan that I have in the shop. I’m a lot more comfortable when I can see the cutter and what’s happening to the wood.

The bit I used was just one that was handy. It’s a 3/4” straight, plunge cutting bit. It left visable ridges from the sharp edge of the bit, (you can see ‘em, but you can’t feel them and it only takes a few passes with a cabinet scraper to remove them) I’m going to try a bowl cutting bit with rounded edges and a 3/4” flat bottom when I flatten the next slab. The finish was so good that if the ridges weren’t there, I’d start sanding with 100 grit.

I already had the base (Gunstock duplicator) and everything else was just spare stuff in the shop. So my total outlay was zip. And the main reaon I built the router sled was to have a way to quicky flatten a raw slab. It opens the number of potential customers to those who don’t have a way to flatten a slab to make a bench or table. I’m going to make a bench, a table and an office desk out of some of my slabs for the sawmill office and line the wall with slabs ready for customers to buy for their own projects. oh, the 1” stainless steel was scrap from a local machine shop where the owner, said: “Take anything you want, it’s just scrap” I’m going back this week to pick up some 3/8” stainless sheet steel (cutoff from a CNC plasma cutter) and some 1/2” 6061-T6 aluminum. I’ll find something to do with it!